


We can build a bridge or baby we can jump in

by ienablu



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Gen, M/M, Meet-Cute, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-02 22:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5266988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ienablu/pseuds/ienablu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darwin is enjoying his day off when his neighbor’s sister barges into his apartment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We can build a bridge or baby we can jump in

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pocky_slash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocky_slash/gifts).



> O Mod My Mod, you have done a wonderful job running this fest, as always. I hope this is appropriately meet-cute and trope-y for you.

It’s Wednesday, which means that it is Armando’s blessed day off. 

He likes people. He really does. He likes meeting new people, he likes interacting with them, he likes to understand them. One of the side benefits of his mutation – adaptation – is the ability to do so with people. Charles has tried to do research to see if Armando has empathy as a secondary mutation, or if it's just an off-shoot of his primary mutation. It's always an interesting conversation. And something Armando thinks about, while skillfully talking down irate, under-caffeinated customers or riders that are in a hurry in the middle of a traffic jam. It doesn’t matter, though. Even at their worst, Armando likes people.

Just not on his day off.

Sundays he has off, more or less, but he keeps the day open for any last-minute needs for any of his employers. His schedule is flexible and he learns new skills quickly, and he’s brought in to work at least a few hours more often than not.

Wednesdays, though, are his day. He catches up on sleep, he catches up on cooking, he goes out for a walk, he stays in to sleep some more, he does whatever he wants. Sometimes that means offering to get together with a friend, but the few people in his circle know better than to ask first.

Today is a no-friend no-anyone day.

It’s the middle of October, which means the local university is drawing closer to midterm season, which means that Armando is going to be picking up copious amounts of shifts at his coffee shop job – either student workers calling out to cram a few hours more, or rushes on mornings of exams necessitating extra employees. Which also means that, in between naps, Darwin is taking this Wednesday to stock his fridge and freezer. Just because he can adapt to live off scarcely any food doesn't mean he enjoys doing so.

He’s halfway into simmering tomato sauce for a lasagne recipe he found online when he hears the rattling of his doorknob. He ignores it.

Thirty seconds later, his door opens.

An early-twenties-ish blonde strides into his apartment. "Jesus, Alex, you dumbfuck, I don't see why you invite me over and then lock me out, what the fuck is wrong with..."

Armando stares at her.

She stares back.

"You're not Alex," she announces.

He shakes his head.

She blinks. Then sniffs. "What are you making?" she asks. "It smells delicious."

"Lasagna. Pasta’s store-bought, but I’m making the sauce and fillings by scratch."

"No wonder it smells so good. Are you a professional chef, or...?"

When Armando was taking too many classes to take too many shifts, he tried to manage his budget by getting an apartment in the sketchier student housing district. This is not the first time Armando’s had a conversation with someone who just broke into his apartment. “I’ve spent some time as a line-chef, but by no means professional,” he tells her.

“Still looks more professional than anything I could cook. Or my brother. Or my other brother.”

From the hallway comes an irate, "Jesus, Raven, you fu–”

"I'm in here," the girl – Raven – calls.

The other guy – Alex, Armando guesses – sticks his head into the doorway.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" he demands. "I mean." He looks at Armando. "Sorry, I try not to swear in front of strangers–”

Raven lets out a loud snort. "This is Alex, by the way. He's my brother. And I'm Raven."

"Yeah, I've seen you around," Armando says to Alex. Blond, hot, usually has a leather coat on, has that broody look to him. Armando’s been meaning to say something to him, but they only pass late at night, and Armando does not want to be That Neighbor. "It's nice to meet you. I’m Armando."

Alex nods.

Raven takes a few steps back, so she’s side by side with her brother. "Alex, bless his heart, can't cook anything to save his life. Like, he's that guy that would almost overcook water."

“No I’m not. Let's go, Raven," he says, taking a step back to the door. To Armando, he says, "Sorry to interrupt you."

Raven turns away to look at Alex, then looks back at Armando. "Do you bake?"

"Sometimes," Armando replies.

"Are you going to be baking cookies anytime soon?" she asks.

"I thought about making a batch or two today."

"Would it be weird if I offered to pay you for a batch of cookies? The place I live, it's gorgeous, it really is, but the kitchen is pathetic, and I haven't had fresh-baked cookies in so long."

"I could make them, you don't have to bother–”

"Alex, I love you, but remember that one time you got the salt and the sugar mixed up?"

Alex goes red.

"We're going to get dinner, I'll stop by when I drop him off. And if I don’t, just leave them with Alex and I’ll stop by and get them from him."

Before Armando can reply, Raven is looping her arm around Alex's neck and dragging him off.

 

-

 

Armando dozes off while he lets the chocolate chip cookie dough chill, at the fuzzy level of sleep where a knock to the door would wake him instantly.

Raven doesn’t stop by, though, and later that night Armando settles for slipping a note under Alex’s door, explaining he’ll gladly make the cookies whenever either of them want. He debates on whether or not to include his number. Maybe a pick-up line.

He decides against it, though. He’ll have a chance later, he knows it.

 

-

 

It’s two in the morning and Armando is making his way back from late Monday night taxi shift when he sees Alex is in the hallway, sitting leaning against the door, staring blankly at the wall across from him.

Armando gets to his door, unlocks it, and stares at Alex for a long moment. He doesn't want to be That Neighbor that tries to start a conversation at late hours of the night, but something about this doesn’t feel right. “You doing okay?”

“No.”

Armando shifts his weight, and turns towards Alex. “What’s up?”

“I have a test tomorrow and I locked myself out of my apartment when I ran to get more energy drinks and Raven is the only one with a spare key and she’s with her brother in the country and won’t be able to get here for another three hours.”

And their apartment manager is none-too-happy to be woken up to let his tenants into their rooms.

Alex’s body is coiled with tension, and he’s taking in very deep, very deliberate breathes. It’s a common technique taught to mutants to keep their powers in check during times of duress.

“Midterms?” Armando guesses.

Alex nods.

Armando grimaces on his behalf. “You leave your balcony door unlocked?”

At that, Alex turns to look at him. “Yeah?”

He finishes opening the door, and nods towards it. “C’mon in.”

“What?”

Armando just walks into his apartment, and waits for Alex to follow in.

He does, but he stops roughly the same place he had last week, while Armando makes his way to the sliding glass door to his balcony.

“She’s not actually my sister,” Alex says.

Armando turns back to look at him.

“We spent some time, uh, growing up together. Same foster family. She’s like a sister, but she’s not actually my sister.”

“You do act like siblings, though,” Armando tells him.

Alex grins at that.

“She’s pretty great. I mean, she can be a pain, but she means well.”

“Heard that’s how siblings usually go,” he replies. He unlocks his balcony door, and tugs it open. “Never had any myself.”

“You’re lucky in some ways.”

“But missing out in a few others?”

Alex shrugs, gaze towards the floor.

Armando makes his way onto his balcony, and nudges the lawn chairs out of the way so there’s more room. “You think you can make the leap?” he asks.

It’s about a twenty foot leap. Something that any normal human would balk out, but Armando feels pretty certain that Alex isn’t just a normal human.

“Maybe.”

It confirms his suspicion, and Armando tries not to sound too smug as he asks, “You think you can make the leap if I gave you a boost?”

Alex turns to look at him, and eyes him up and down. His cheeks flush a moment later, and he turns back to looking at his own balcony. “Definitely.”

And that’s another suspicion confirmed. It’s been a long day, but Armando is feeling pretty good about himself right now. “C’mere,” he says.

Alex blinks a few times, blush deepening. “What?”

 

Armando crouches down, holding his hands up. “Step up onto my hands, and I’ll give you a boost.”

“Oh.” Alex coughs, and Armando feels so, so good about himself, even as the treads of Alex’s sneakers dig into Armando’s hands.

“You okay with heights?”

“Mostly.”

Armando stands up, keeping Alex balanced. “Good?”

“Good.”

“You okay with a rough landing?”

“Mostly.”

“Good. On three. One, two…” And then Armando is lowering his hands a few inches, before pushing up, propelling Alex towards his balcony.

Alex flies through the air, lands on the balcony, and drops out of sight for a few moments. Then he jumps back up, brushing himself off.

Armando gives him a thumbs up and a questioning expression.

Alex gives him a thumbs up in reply, and then hurries inside.

 

-

 

The day after, there’s a knock at his door.

Armando’s annoyance at being interrupted on his day off disappears between one breath and the next. He smiles when he opens the door up. “Hey, Alex.”

“Hey.” Alex is holding a large paper bag, which he shoves over to Armando.

“What’s this?”

“It’s, uh, flour. And sugar. And butter.”

Armando looks in the bag. Also a small carton of eggs, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, baking chocolate…

“Your note said that you were going to bake, and Raven would pay you after, but I’ve heard baking ingredients are expensive, and I wanted to do something to show how grateful I was for you helping me out the other night, and… I thought you might like this.”

“I do.” Armando smiles at him. “You want to come in?”

Alex takes a few reluctant steps in. "I thought you liked having your day off to yourself. I mean. You have so little time off, it seems, I thought you would like to decompress."

"I was going to start making some cookies to decompress. Yeah, I tend to spend my days off solo, but every now and then, it's nice to have a friend over.

"I–” Alex starts, then bites his lip. "You should know that I've seen you around the hallways. Thoughtyouwerereallyhot. Told Raven about you, and she got it in her head that she could get a brilliant scheme that would introduce us. And so she pretended to mix up our rooms."

Armando nods. "No offense to her, but that's her genius plan?"

Alex fidgets. "You should have heard what she and Lehnsherr were planning."

Armando narrows his eyes. "Erik Lehnsherr?"

He raises his hands. "I promise that by no means do I agree with Lehnsherr's ideology, nor do I hope bringing him up implies any implicit agreement."

"You get that a lot?" Armando asks.

"He's..." Alex makes a series of vague hand gestures.

"Controversial?" Darwin supplies. "I had a few classes with the Professor, a few years back."

Alex tilts his head to the side. "Darwin?" he asks.

Armando huffs a laugh. “It’s been a long time since anyone called me that.”

"The Professor talks about you a lot. You were kind of his trial run, on increasing mutant visibility in the student body."

"It was a trial run for us both. Things worked out better for him, though, thankfully."

"Why'd you leave school?"

Armando shrugs. "Money, mostly. I had a few scholarships, but there was a… misunderstanding, and a few of them got pulled. And Charles offered to loan me the money to keep going, but I want to make it on my own. So I’ve been working, and saving up, and should be able to go back next year to finish up my degree.”

“You’ll be going back as a junior?”

He nods.

Alex gives him a tentative smile. “We’ll be in the same class, then.”

Armando smiles back. “Then I really hope I’ll be able to head back next year.” And that he can stay in contact with Alex until then. His mutation isn’t visible, and it isn’t super-enhanced strength, otherwise he wouldn’t’ve needed a boost. But while some mutants are glad to talk about their powers, some are more guarded. And for all the small details Alex has given about himself, Armando gets the feeling he tends more towards the latter. Armando wants to know, but there will be time to ask later. For now, “Mind pulling out that flour?”


End file.
